Tor Alter, head teacher at Alyth Kindergarten in Golders Green in North West London, said ‘anxieties were heightened’ but they were ‘trying to continue with business as normal.’
The kindergarten has increased security to reassure parents after a rise in antisemitic incidents in the area since last weekend.
‘It’s been an incredibly anxious time for everyone,’ she said. ‘Antisemitism is rife. Parents are very nervous and scared. Everyone clubbed together and we were able to get another security guard.
‘In terms of Alyth and our parents, it’s been incredible. I’m incredibly proud to be the headteacher, I’m incredibly proud of the parents and to be part of such a wonderful community, the support for each other is so strong.’
A family member of one of Alyth’s parents is on the way back from Israel, a mum of a two-month-old baby, whose husband serves in the Israeli army.
‘Everyone has rallied round to get them all the resources they need. She’s a single mum coming on her own with no luggage.’
Tor’s own sister is in Israel with her husband and three children, and her nephew was at the music festival where so many people died. Thankfully, he returned home safe.
‘Everyone is affected,’ she said. ‘There isn’t one person in the Jewish community who isn’t affected. It is so close to home.’
‘We’re all supporting each other. I’ve had teachers and parents crying in my office.’
‘One child came home and said we need extra security from the baddies. We just want to love and nurture the children.' She added that they 'must have picked up on something as we do not talk about Israel being at war in the kindergarten.’
The Community Security Trust (CST) – a charity that helps to protect British Jews from antisemitism and related threats – said 89 antisemitic incidents had been reported in a four-day period, between 7-10 October, compared to 21 incidents over the same four days in 2022. Fifty of these incidents occurred in London and 12 in Manchester.
While Alyth Kindergarten usually has two security guards in place at all times for emergencies, it now has a third, after the parents rallied round to help fund them.
Security for Jewish schools and nurseries is provided through a grant from the CST and the kindergarten’s security guards are from First Class Protection.
‘We have specific guidelines, and I feel very lucky to have that protection,’ Tor said.
‘I am also very much supported by the trustees of the synagogue when making decisions – I don’t feel alone.’
'We don't talk about it in pre-school'
Gan Alon Pre-school is based at the Sternberg Centre for Judaism in Finchley, north London, a campus with a primary school, daycare, and a college. The centre is the headquarters for the Movement for Reform Judaism.
The pre-school's manager Jane Pescow said that while the situation was not talked about with the children, ‘It’s definitely around for the staff. It’s all consuming, pervasive, in your atmosphere.’
She said the pre-school sent a note round to families on Monday saying they were thinking of them and offering support.
‘We try not to talk about it [in the pre-school]. It spills over for adults. People are having difficult experiences, it’s very triggering. You can’ t shy away from it. Like [it was with] coronavirus, you can’t not talk about it.’
Some of the families and staff are Israeli and for many of the children when they go on holiday, they go to Israel, she said.
One family kept their child at home on Friday – they have relatives staying from Israel that have arrived following the attack last weekend.
‘For that child the situation is very prevalent, because it’s in his house,’ she said.
'Particularly traumatic' – intergenerational nursery and care home
Judith Ish-Horowicz is co-founder and director of Apples and Honey Nightingale, an intergenerational nursery based on the shared site of a Jewish care home in Wandsworth.
‘As you can imagine, everyone is deeply affected by what is happening and what they are hearing,' she said.
'It's particularly traumatic for the Nightingale Hammerson residents who lived through the trauma of World War Two and the Holocaust.
‘Having the nursery children around to distract them and to give a sense of normality and continuity is a gift that Apples and Honey Nightingale is able to offer to our grandfriends.
'We have reviewed all our security procedures and are very appreciative of the support and advice of CST and of the local police with whom the care home is liaising closely.
‘We are communicating closely with our families and staff, many of whom are not Jewish and have not experienced such threats before. They are supportive of our desire to carry on as normally as is possible whilst being extra vigilant to keep everyone safe.’
Meanwhile, two primary schools and a secondary school in London were closed on Friday.
Ateres Beis Yaakov primary school in Colindale and Torah Vodaas primary school in Edgware reportedly told parents on Thursday evening that they would not reopen until Monday.
Menorah high school in Neasden was also closed temporarily on Friday.
On Thursday, Rishi Sunak announced an immediate £3 million in extra funding for CST to protect Jewish schools, synagogues and other Jewish community buildings.